


Knock Out

by NiallIsMyLifeForever



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Meetings, Flashbacks, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scent Marking, Scenting, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 22:01:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12397122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiallIsMyLifeForever/pseuds/NiallIsMyLifeForever
Summary: He smelt him before he saw him, instantly recognizing the overwhelming scent of firecrackers and spicy undertone of peppermint tea. There was nothing but anger in the aura of his own teammates. The look on the boy’s face was pure defeat. He had come willingly, ready to be traded for something better whether it was money or power. A betrayed soldier who had never truly belonged anywhere begging a band of misfits to find it in themselves to spare his life. With a dry mouth, he stepped forward. He had to save this one or live the rest of his life in a blind panic, alone.





	Knock Out

**Author's Note:**

> The formatting for whatever reason won't let me fix that annoying paragraph that obviously needs a space...I'm sorry guys! 
> 
> I hope you still enjoy the story, more chapters will come, just needed some kind of a background to build the story off from :)

Sokka smelt him before he saw him. It was the overwhelming scent of firecrackers mixed with a spicy undertone of peppermint tea. He would recognise that scent anywhere after the first time they met. It had been about a year earlier, right after he and his sister, Katara, had found Aang frozen in a water globe. A Fire Nation ship was coming right for their small village of the Southern Water Tribe and he was the only male warrior of age. Sokka had never had any real training, his father left when he was too young to understand what a proper fighting stance was. He hadn’t presented with his second gender yet and even when he had, Sokka never allowed himself to fall behind. Despite his younger sister being a beta who could hold her own, Sokka swore he would protect her at any cost. His own persistence to be treated like everyone else clouded his judgement towards women in general and Sokka never really realised how horrid he saw the female race. 

He stood, alone a boy of fourteen against an entire ship of Fire Nation soldiers lead by the crown prince and his retired military uncle. Sokka hadn’t thought much when he’d been tossed aside like last week’s garbage by the angry prince. Being the only male around his age that Sokka had seen in eons, it was only natural for his scenes to spark an interest. He watched the Prince threaten his Grandmother, thrusting a half circle of fire above the villager’s heads. The boy was yelling something about the avatar but all Sokka saw was another child having a tantrum.  
Snatching up his fallen boomerang, Sokka picked himself out the snow and ran at the Fire Nation Prince with a loud battle cry. The next thing he knew he was on his butt with a flame inches from his head. Nearly hitting the prince with Boomerang, he caught a spear midair thanks to one of the smaller warriors too young to possibly fight. On pure offense, Sokka was startled when the prince snapped the spear in half with a small movement from his forearm. Sokka was knocked off balance again when he inhaled deeply, mind buzzing from the scent of the prince. The spear was jabbed into his forehead time and time again though Sokka was lost to the world, on cloud nine with nothing but that fascinating smell. He rubbed at his face, trying to clear his head. Never had he been so affected by another human being. Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw the gleam of Boomerang coming back to rebound hit the prince from behind.  
The prince’s head jolted forward, his helmet unsettling on his head. Sokka’s heart stopped when he saw the look on the prince’s face. It was pure hatred, like he would murder Sokka in a second. Flames rolled down his fingers, steam seeping out of his nose. Sokka froze, locked in the death glare. The prince’s face twitched as he stared at Sokka, a small look of confusion showed on his face.  
Sokka was snapped out of his own daze when Aang came riding in on a penguin, running straight into the prince and starting a little one on one battle. With the helmet completely gone from the prince’s head Sokka stared at the half bald head, the half healed scar that marred part of his face, everything he could see. What was it about this boy that was so intriguing to Sokka? 

***  
He had chosen to forget about the prince, shaking his head whenever the thoughts came back. He and Katara saved Aang from the ship without much difficulty, Katara’s waterbending proved to be better than he’d previously expected it to be. From there on out whenever the prince-Sokka now knew him as Zuko, a name spat from Aang’s lips like poison, would come about he would do everything in his power to ignore the jitters in his body. He craved to hear everything about the older boy. What was his life story? Why did he hate Aang so much? Why was he following them everywhere? He found himself saying Zuko’s name late at night, whispering it to himself quietly. That ritual quickly was put to a stop when Toph, a blind earth bender, joined their posse. She had asked who Zuko was, questioning why Sokka’s pulse sped up when he was brought up. She was still too young to present, same as Aang. Still, Toph seemed to understand something Sokka didn’t. When Zuko was insulted by one of the group members she would turn in his direction, eyes never truly falling on him as if she were trying to inconspicuously check on him. 

Then Aang was injured. He was hurt badly in the Avatar state. So badly that he nearly died. There were so many tears, Katara’s, Toph’s, Sokka’s own. Sokka loved Aang, a different way than his sister did, but love just the same. Aang had been the glue in their group, the reason to smile when everything seemed helpless, the hope that one day this bloody war would end. Sokka put his own foolish feelings aside, trying to make a plan with his Dad. There had to be something they could do right? Aang would heal from his wounds, Katara would make sure of it. Back on the water, Sokka shook terribly as he sat alone on the edge, feet dangling dangerously close to falling.

Hakoda found his son there, staring off into the distance. The two of them still hadn’t had a proper conversation since reuniting, and something was obviously very wrong. Sokka’s head was bent. He was fighting a terrible internal battle. He wasn’t the pathetic, innocent boy he was when he first met Zuko. He knew how horrible the boy...man was and yet his heart still decided to soar when his name was uttered under someone’s breath. They were most likely cursing him. Another reason for Sokka to banish the stupid thoughts. He turned his head when his father sat next to him.

“Sokka, is there something you need to tell me son?” Hakoda had asked, trying to understand what was going on. Sokka stared at his Dad, trying to form the words. He had feelings for their enemy? He was in love with the boy who tried to kill them all? Where would he begin, how would he possibly try to explain? Chickening out, Sokka went to the next best thing. The half truth.  
“Dad..there’s something I need to tell you.” His voice was small. He knew Hakoda would always love him, but this may make him rue the day Sokka was born. “I know we haven’t really talked since I was young. We would joke about when I grew up, how I would become the leader of the tribe. But...there’s something we didn't calculate. What if..what if I didn’t present as an alpha? What man would follow a beta, much less. Much less…” Sokka exhaled deeply, swallowing the buildup of saliva in his closed throat. “Much less an omega.” 

There was a silence. Sokka didn’t really know what he was waiting for, but it certainly wasn’t strong arms pulling him close. “I know,” The words slowly registered in his brain. He knew? How could he have known..when for the longest time Sokka hadn’t even known? “H-how?” Sokka asked, his own hands reaching up to snatch a hold of his father’s biceps.  
“I’ve known for a long time Sokka. It just didn’t matter to me what you were. You could have had three arms and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. You’re my son, omega, beta, alpha, octopus. It doesn't mean you’re less of a man. You still fight, you have such a strong will. All of my men would follow you in an instant, regardless of anything because you have proved second gender means nothing in the face of battle. You don’t run Sokka, you stand. You fight. You are everything I could have hoped for and more,” There in his Father’s arms, Sokka wept like a newborn. 

***  
Granted, it had been a stupid idea. Aang defeating the Fire Lord without even knowing how to firebend? Azula’s stupid words, twisting in their heads. Mentioning Sokka’s best friend, Suki, trying to fight with Aang and Katara’s feelings. She really was her father’s daughter, and her brother’s sister. All Sokka wanted to do was end the Fire Lord’s reign and get back to his own injured father. The last thing he wanted was to run into Zuko after all this time. He’d done everything he could to try and forget him, he’d even tried to convince himself that he felt something for Suki though he knew he was kidding no one. Suki may have been an alpha, but she sure wasn’t Sokka’s alpha. 

Saying goodbye to his Dad again was the hardest thing Sokka could have ever done. He was tired of being separated from his family. He wanted to scream about how irresponsible his father was being, leaving the children to fend for themselves. But Sokka knew as his father did, they weren’t children anymore. Age was just a number that meant nothing. Aang was a thirteen year old with the world on his shoulders, being lead by a sixteen year old and his fourteen year old sister. Finding the Western Air Temple wasn’t as hard as Sokka expected it to be. Teo, Haru, and The Duke were excited to explore the temple, looking high and low for it’s untold secrets. All Sokka could think about was their next move. He knew it was unfair of him to expect so much from Aang right after a failed battle, however his father’s face in pain repeatedly flashed through his mind. Who knew what was going to happen to Hakoda in a Fire Nation prison? 

That’s when that undisguisable delicious scent flew past Sokka’s nose, causing him to freeze up. He knew he should have been terrified, Zuko was here most likely to try and kill Aang. He should hate him. His instincts should be screaming at him to fight, hurt, protect Aang. But….Sokka wanted to throw himself into Zuko’s arms. He hadn’t seen him in so long, all he wanted to do was shove his head into Zuko’s neck to get closer to that smell…

“Hello, Zuko here!”


End file.
